


Changing Her Stripes

by DJRezYourGays



Category: RWBY
Genre: Also also screw the White Fang 2k17 -_-, Also let Ilia be happy 2k17, F/F, Give Blake a gf 2k17
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-01
Updated: 2017-12-01
Packaged: 2019-02-08 15:13:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12867267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DJRezYourGays/pseuds/DJRezYourGays
Summary: Eavesdropping on Blake for information, Ilia learns more than she bargained for, and it has her questioning her dedication to her mission.MicroWriMo 2017Prompt: Secret





	Changing Her Stripes

 

 

Ilia's skin shifted to match the trees outside the Belladonna residence where she was tucked away, listening in for anything the White Fang could use against the family.  Seeing Blake again complicated things somewhat, but Ilia forced herself to ignore old affections and focus on the mission at hand.

She didn't have to wait long before she heard voices on the balcony above.  She shifted to a different branch for better cover, listening in as what sounded like Blake and the boy she'd brought with her to Menagerie argued overhead.

"That's not true at all!" the boy was saying.

"You don't know that!" Blake shot back.  "I just...left, Sun."  Ilia saw her lean over the railing and shrank back toward the trunk of the tree she was hiding in.  The pained expression on Blake's face ran light daggers straight through her.  "I don't expect any of them to understand, least of all her."

"I think you need to start giving your team more credit," Sun said, hopping up to perch on the railing, tail swaying idly as they talked.  "We've all been through a lot, Blake.  Anyone could see why you'd need to get away for a while."

"That's not-- you don't understand, either," Blake said with a heavy sigh.  

"So help me understand," Sun said, resting a hand on her shoulder.  Ilia felt a sudden heat rise to the back of her neck and had to fight to keep her colors from shifting to an angry red.  

Blake turned her back to Ilia and crossed her arms. "I just kept seeing the fight in my head, again and again," she explained.  "Yang didn't hesitate, Sun.  She'd heard me talk about Adam, I know she knew the kind of danger she was in.  And she rushed in anyway.  And then--"

"I know," Sun said, not wanting to force her to relive the moment any more than she already had.  "I also know there's no way she blames you for what happened."

"She should," Blake muttered, "but that's not the point.  I just...can't be around Yang right now.  Not if I want to keep being her friend.  Not if Team RWBY is ever going to be a thing again."

"What do you mean?" Sun asked.  Ilia found herself venturing out a bit further on the branch to get a closer look.  None of this was relevant to the mission, but that didn't stop her from hanging on every word.

Blake rolled her head back and closed her eyes.  Ilia had seen that look before whenever Blake was agonizing over a decision, when she was being pulled in two directions and seriously considering running off in a third instead of choosing either one.  "I like Yang," she said at last, her ears straightening out like they were letting go of a great wait.  "I'm in love with my best friend, my team mate, my...oh god, Sun."

"Hey, I get it," Sun said, reaching out to reassure her as Blake put her head in her hands.  Ilia found herself doing the same from afar, catching herself and pulling her hand back before she risked being spotted.  "Believe me, I get it."

Blake looked up suddenly.  "You do?"

Sun just shrugged.  "Yeah, I mean-- it's not important.  The point is you're not alone."

Ilia felt her heart race, worried it was pounding so hard inside her chest it might give her position away.  A hundred wishes and suspicions of a childhood together suddenly came into sharp relief as Ilia reconsidered every moment, every look, every laugh between herself and Blake.  When Adam came along, she was so certain she'd just been kidding herself...

"What should I do?" Blake asked, trying to stifle the sniffles and not having much success.

"How should I know?" Sun laughed, earning a glare for his troubles.  "All I know is she cares about you.  When you see each other again, she's just gonna be thrilled you're okay."

"You really think so?"

"Yeah, sure," Sun shrugged.  "You ask me, it's Weiss you probably have to worry about.  That's if Ruby doesn't break your ribs when she tackles you to the ground first."

Blake laughed, taking a moment to wipe the tears away.  "Oh god, I can honestly see that happening."

"See?" Sun said.  "Yang's the least of your worries!"

Ilia found herself smiling in the shadow of the leaves.  The sound of Blake's laugh felt like a faraway memory of another world.  Silently, she slipped away, leaving the two to their conversation in peace.  The White Fang would just have to wait another day for any new secrets on the Belladonna family.  This one Ilia was keeping all to herself.


End file.
